BC Zoology Students Conduct Research
Bluefield College’s zoology students recently conducted research in the Croatan National Forest on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina.
The research trip is a biannual event organized by the BC College of Sciences that corresponds to the offering of Zoology in the spring semesters of odd years. The trip is funded in part by a grant from the Office of Academic Affairs and by faculty members in the Biology Department.
Participants of this year’s four-day excursion were students current Rhyan Bailey, Katelyn Dunford, Caden Minnix, Morgan Rasnake and Deborah Tung, along with Dr. Martin Offield, professor of biology.
The group visited various areas of the Croatan National Forest to study insect life and to compile a collection of 40 insects for each student. They also visited the North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knolls to view various freshwater and marine animals.
“We visited various areas of the park to study different habitats where insects typically live,” Dr. Offield said. “We looked in the marsh areas of the park where we found water strider insects. We looked around the Catfish Lake area and found numerous wood ants and termites living on the fallen trees. We visited coastal areas along the Intracoastal Waterway and found many different varieties of beetles and cockroaches. And we explored some of the open grassy areas on the southern edge of the park and found many butterflies, dragon flies, and grasshopper varieties.”
“I found the actual hands-on experience of searching and catching these insects to be the most valuable experience of this trip,” Tung said. “Dr. Offield understands the importance of hands-on learning, and being able to go outside the classroom and apply the knowledge we learned in the classroom was a great experience.”
And while the primary purpose of the trip was to research and learn, Dunford said the students had a lot of fun.
“While the main priority was catching bugs for our final bug collection, we also did a bunch of other fun activities,” Dunford said. “This was a really valuable experience for me. Most of the Zoology class are seniors, and it was a really nice opportunity to be able to hang out with everyone before we all part our separate ways.”
The Zoology course is a one semester class that surveys the various phylum within the animal kingdom. According to Dr. Offield, the course focuses on the defining characteristics of animals, including distinctive anatomy and physiology, means of reproduction, and roles they play within ecosystems.
“My favorite part of the trip was probably the first day we were down there,” Dunford said. “We stopped at a local nature trail (Pasty Pond Nature Trail). It was just a funny sight to see everyone running around with giant butterfly nets trying to catch anything and everything.”